JPH0229720Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a centrifugal drying apparatus for wafers.

[Prior art] An example of this type of device is Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 54-78079.
There is something that can be seen in the publication. That is, when the dehydration of the wafer is completed, the turntable stops at a predetermined position. The position of each cradle in this stopped state can be determined in advance, so for example, when automating the loading and unloading of wafers using a robot that automatically loads and unloads wafers, the position of each cradle is memorized in the robot, and the robot Wafers that have been automatically dehydrated by being sequentially moved to each cradle are carried out from the cradle, and new wafers are carried into the cradle. Alternatively, a dedicated robot may be provided for each cradle to load and unload wafers. After loading and unloading wafers from all cradles, the turntable is rotated again to perform dehydration.

[The problem that the idea aims to solve]

Therefore, in an apparatus in which a plurality of cradles are provided, control of the robot becomes complicated, or a large number of robots must be provided. Additionally, each cradle must be provided with an attitude change device.

The present invention attempts to solve this conventional problem, and even if there are many cradles, it is possible to automatically load and unload wafers using one robot and one attitude change device without complicating the control. The object of the present invention is to provide a continuous automatic centrifugal drying device for wafers that can perform the following steps.

[Means to solve the problem]

The present invention includes a plurality of cradles swingably disposed on a turntable provided in a circular container, and a plurality of cradles provided in the circular container by regulating the rotation angle of the turntable. a cylinder-driven position regulating device that sequentially stops the cradle at a predetermined position; a cylinder-driven position changing device that changes the attitude of the cradle between a vertical attitude and a horizontal attitude; and a dewatering drive device that rotates the turntable at high speed. , a movement drive device for rotating the turntable in order to sequentially move the cradle to a predetermined stop position, the movement drive device comprising a friction wheel provided on a rotation support shaft of the turntable; A continuous automatic centrifugal drying apparatus for wafers is characterized in that it is comprised of a low-speed motor equipped with a friction wheel on its output shaft, and a cylinder that brings the friction wheels into contact with each other.

[Effect]

The continuous automatic centrifugal drying apparatus for wafers of the present invention includes a plurality of cradles that are swingably disposed on a turntable provided in a circular container, and a rotation angle of the turntable provided in the circular container. a cylinder-driven position regulating device that regulates and stops the plurality of cradles in sequence at predetermined positions; a cylinder-driven position changing device that changes the attitude of the cradle between a vertical attitude and a horizontal attitude; and a cylinder-driven position changing device that rotates the turntable at high speed. a drive device for rotating the turntable in order to sequentially move the cradle to a predetermined stop position; It is composed of a friction wheel installed on the shaft, a low-speed motor with the friction wheel on the output shaft, and a cylinder that moves the friction wheels toward and away from each other. The robots are stopped one by one at a predetermined position. At a predetermined position, the cradle is changed from a vertical position during dehydration and drying to a horizontal position when loading and unloading wafers by a position changing device. Wafers are carried in and out in a horizontal position, for example, by an automatic robot. When the process is finished, it returns to the vertical position again, and the loading and unloading of wafers to and from one cradle is completed. Next, the moving drive device and the position regulating device are appropriately linked to move the adjacent cradle to a predetermined position, and the same operation is performed. Thereafter, wafers are carried in and out of all cradles in the same manner.

In this case, the timing of the movements of the moving drive device, the position regulating device, and the attitude changing device can be automatically controlled by the respective cylinders. Therefore, as long as the low-speed motor is kept rotating, the sequential movement of each cradle and the attitude change for loading and unloading wafers are all automatically performed by cylinder control.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the centrifugal drying apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

A turntable 2 is rotatably supported and housed inside a circular container 1.
A plurality of support frames 14 (four in the example) are installed at positions on the same circumference on the upper surface of the frame. Cradles 3 ₁ , 3 ₂ , 3 ₃ , and 3 ₄ are suspended from each support frame 14 so as to be rotatable up and down by 90 degrees around support shafts 15 that are horizontal shafts.

On the other hand, the container 1 serves as a posture change device for the cradle 3.
The upper end of the swing arm 4A is attached to a specific position on the outer peripheral wall of the container 1 so as to be movable up and down with a pin 4B, and the arcuate arm 4 fixed to the lower end of the swing arm 4A is placed inside the container 1 with the top of the turntable 2 facing diagonally upward. The rotor 4C at the tip is placed facing the bottom surface of the cradle 3 held by each support frame 14 located at a predetermined position described below, and the swing arm 4A is provided with air for driving it. cylinder 5
Concatenate. The cradle 3 (3 ₁ in the figure) is located in a position where the posture can be changed by this posture changing device.
This position is a predetermined position (hereinafter referred to as the wafer loading/unloading position) for automatically loading/unloading wafers by a robot or the like.

Furthermore, as a position regulating device for the cradle 3, sawtooth positioning grooves 6 ₁ , 6 ₂ , 6 ₃ ,
Fixed arm 7 with 6 ₄ attached and engaged in each groove 6
is inserted from the outside of the container 1 toward the turntable 2, and an air cylinder 8 for forward and backward drive is connected to the outer end of the fixed arm 7.

A rotation support shaft 2A of the turntable 2 is supported by a bearing portion 1A of the container 1, and the shaft 2A is linked to a high-speed motor 13 as a drive device for dewatering.
A friction wheel 12 is attached to the lower end of the shaft 2A.

A low-speed motor 9 is swingably supported on the lower surface of the container 1 by a pin 9A as a drive device for rotating the turntable 2 and sequentially moving the cradle 3 to the wafer loading/unloading position, and a friction wheel is attached to the motor shaft. A friction wheel 11 is attached to the motor 9, and an air cylinder 10 is attached to the motor 9, and the air cylinder 10 swings and displaces the friction wheel 11 around the pin 9A to control the engagement and separation (interlocking, disconnection) of both the friction wheels 11 and 12. connected.

Each air cylinder 5, 8, 10 and motor 9,
13 and their operation timings are sequentially performed by electronic control.

Next, the operation of the drying apparatus having the above structure will be explained. First, with the turntable 2 stopped (for example, assume that the turntable 2 is stopped with the cradle ₃₁ at a position immediately in front of the wafer loading/unloading position), the air cylinder 10 is operated and the motor 9 is oscillated. The friction wheel 11 is pressed against the friction wheel 12 by dynamic displacement. Next, when the motor 9 is started, its rotational force is transmitted to the turntable 2 via both friction wheels 11 and 12, and this starts rotating at a low speed clockwise in FIG. 2. There, without delay (before the positioning groove 6 ₁ corresponding to the cradle 3 ₁ rotates to the position where the fixed arm 7 advances)
When the air cylinder 8 is driven to press the tip of the fixed arm 7 against the turntable 2, when the positioning groove ₆₁ corresponding to the cradle ₃₁ reaches the position of the fixed arm 7 due to rotation of the turntable 2,
The tip of the fixing arm 7 is fitted into the groove ₆₁ to fix the turntable 2, and the cradle ₃₁ is located at the wafer loading/unloading position. At that point, the motor 9 is returned to its original position by the operation of the air cylinder 10, and the friction wheel 11 is separated from the friction wheel 12 (the motor 9 may continue to rotate).

When the air cylinder 5 is driven in this state, the swing arm 4A rotates around the pin 4B, the arcuate arm 4 moves together and is lifted diagonally upward, and the rotor 4C pushes up the bottom of the cradle ₃₁ , i.e. Rotate the cradle 3 ₁ around the support shaft 15,
Converts from vertical position to horizontal position when loading and unloading wafers.

Washed wafers are automatically loaded into this cradle ₃₁ by a robot or the like, and when loading is completed, the arcuate arm 4 is returned to its original position and the cradle ₃₁ is again converted to the vertical position for dewatering.
Thereafter, the fixed arm 7 is pulled away from the groove ₆₁ to make the turntable 2 freely rotatable.
After that, repeat the same procedure (drive the air cylinder 8 faster than the turntable 2 rotates 90 degrees to fit the fixed arm 7 into the grooves 6 ₂ , 6 ₃ , 6 ₄ in sequence,
After placing the cradles 3 ₂ , 3 ₃ , and 3 ₄ in sequence at the wafer loading/unloading position) and storing wafers in each of the cradles 3, the motor 13 is driven to rotate the turntable 2 at high speed.
The wafers in each cradle 3 are dried by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation. When drying is completed, motor 1
3, each cradle 3 is sequentially positioned at the wafer loading/unloading position as described above, each is changed to a horizontal position, the wafer is automatically loaded from the inside to the outside, and the washed wafer is placed again. Bring it in.

[Effect of idea]

The continuous automatic centrifugal drying apparatus for wafers of the present invention includes a plurality of cradles that are swingably disposed on a turntable provided in a circular container, and a rotation angle of the turntable provided in the circular container. a cylinder-driven position regulating device that regulates and stops the plurality of cradles in sequence at predetermined positions; a cylinder-driven position changing device that changes the attitude of the cradle between a vertical attitude and a horizontal attitude; and a cylinder-driven position changing device that rotates the turntable at high speed. a drive device for rotating the turntable in order to sequentially move the cradle to a predetermined stop position; It is composed of a friction wheel installed on the shaft, a low-speed motor with the friction wheel on the output shaft, and a cylinder that brings the friction wheels into contact with each other, so it is possible to carry in one wafer without complicating the control. Wafers can be automatically loaded and unloaded from multiple cradles using an unloading robot and one attitude change device. In addition, since the moving drive device rotates the turntable by bringing the friction wheel into contact with and separating from it, slippage is allowed, making it easy to adjust the driving force and causing less impact. Since the position regulating device, posture changing device, and moving drive device are all cylinder driven, sequential automatic control is easy.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention Fig. 2-
A line sectional front view (cradle 3 ₂ omitted) and FIG. 2 are plan views of the same. 1... Container, 2... Turntable, 3, 3 ₁ ,
3 ₂ , 3 ₃ , 3 ₄ ... Cradle, 4 ... Arc arm, 5 ... Air cylinder, 6, 6 ₁ , 6 ₂ 6 ₃ , 6 ₄
... Positioning groove, 7 ... Fixed arm, 8 ... Air cylinder, 9 ... Low speed motor, 10 ... Air cylinder, 11, 12 ... Friction wheel, 13 ... High speed motor, 14 ... Support frame, 15...Spindle.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A plurality of cradles are swingably disposed on a turntable provided in a circular container, and a rotation angle of the turntable provided in the circular container is regulated to sequentially move the plurality of cradles to a predetermined position. a cylinder-driven position regulating device for stopping the cradle at a certain position; a cylinder-driven position changing device for changing the attitude of the cradle between a vertical attitude and a horizontal attitude; a dewatering drive device for rotating the turntable at high speed; a driving device for rotating the turntable in order to sequentially move the turntable to a predetermined stop position; the driving device for driving includes a friction wheel provided on the rotation support shaft of the turntable; A continuous automatic centrifugal drying device for wafers, comprising a low-speed motor equipped with a friction wheel, and a cylinder that brings the friction wheels into contact with each other.